Saisen

“You know how the saying goes, ‘Sticks and stones will break bones, so it’s better that everyone hits me instead of someone else.” - Saisen.

Saisen

Saisen is a male Eladrin Player Character who sails on the Changemaker in the Toivoan Trainwreck campaign. He is a Paladin of Oizys, the god of enduring pain, longsuffering, and steadfastness.

Appearance and Personality

Saisen is a fairly young Eladrin who is heavily scarred and nearly always seen in heavy armor wielding a large shield. If you do manage to catch a glimpse of him without his armor, Saisen will likely be wearing long, bulky clothing, due to being slightly self-conscious about his scars. Generally, he remains in his spring Eladrin form, sporting a pleasant green hair tone. However, significant changes to his emotional state, such as the death of an ally (especially if he failed to protect them), may cause him to shift into a different season. Saisen is a vegetarian with a special love for spicy food and strong alcohols.

As a Paladin of Oizys, Saisen is no stranger to harm. Saisen has made it his mission in life to lessen the suffering of all those that he can. He believes that it’s better for one individual to suffer than many. The more suffering he can prevent, or take upon himself, the better the world will be. Although a technical Paladin of Oizys, Saisen rarely speaks of his god. He respects Oizys and what he stands for, but he remains somewhat distant from even his own god.

Saisen makes a conscious effort to come across as open and friendly to people he meets. He's always willing to lend a hand and to make life easier for those around him, and enjoys a good joke or prank. Although he often grumbles about the unnecessary risks his allies take, he means well. Saisen hypocritically ignores risky situations when it is just his own well-being that may be harmed. At his best, Saisen is a fiercely loyal friend who will always back up people around him. At his worst, Saisen is overbearing, overprotective, hypocritical, and patronizing. Although proud of his abilities, Saisen often feels like he is never good enough, especially when people around him end up getting hurt.

Saisen is not motivated by strict definitions of good or evil, but by the overall suffering he can prevent. As such, although he often comes across as a strict follower of the law, Saisen is more than willing to break laws if he believes he can prevent harm to others by doing so. Similarly, Saisen is shockingly willing to lie, motivated by the fact that lies are a powerful tool which may sometimes lessen suffering more than the truth.

Background

Childhood

Saisen was born in a small Eladrin village deep in the Fey wilderness by the name of Sylriar, named as such for the thick brambles which surrounded the town. His father, Naelren, was responsible for maintaining the flora in Sylriar. Naelren used his affinity for natural magic to ensure that Sylriar meshed into the natural flora of the Fey wild and the town lived in harmony with nature. His mother, Jun, was a member of Sylriar's ruling council, ensuring that all matters of disputes and town decisions were decided fairly. Saisen had two older twin sisters, Tessa and Asset, who doted on him and spoiled him at every opportunity. Despite the remoteness of Sylriar, in many ways Saisen thinks of it as an idyllic upbringing, and often thinks back to those days.

The Fall of Sylriar

When Saisen was a mere forty, Sylriar fell under attack by an enormous horde of crazed Blights. The defensive briar, which had once hidden and protected the town from the greater dangers of the Fey wilds, now kept them trapped within the town. Despite the small size of their village, the combat-worthy Eladrin were far from helpless, and they put up a strong defense, repelling the waves of attacks for days and slaying scores of Blights. However, for every wave of attacks rebuffed and every Blight slain, more Eladrin would become injured. The small cuts, scrapes, and bruises slowly accumulated. The sheer number of small injuries and deep exhaustion eventually became lethal to the defenders. As their reactions slowed, the defenders began dropping one by one, overwhelmed by the horde. The survivors found themselves pushed further and further back into the town as the number of defenders dwindled.

Through all of this, Saisen remained locked in his family house, a great tree near the center of town. His sisters, working in conjunction, had cast a Gaes on Saisen when the attacks began in earnest, preventing him from leaving the house. They knew he would try to join the defenders if left alone, even if, as the youngest member of Sylriar, he had been forbidden from doing so. He spent the days watching from the windows as the number of injured grew higher, and as fewer and fewer defenders returned. Eventually, he could even hear the sounds of the fighting as it pressed ever closer to the center of town. He knew when his sisters eventually fell. A cold numbness spread through his body, followed by a harsh, hot pain, and then a sense of hollow emptiness as the impulse from the Gaes faded. He was told later that they had been killed nearly simultaneously at opposite sides of the town, a surprise considering they rarely would be separated by choice. Their death resulted in violent, chaotic explosions as their connected magic surged wildly, destroying huge swathes of the town. In the ensuing chaos, Naelren stealthily led the few remaining Eladrin through a small tunnel he pried through the briars.

A New Beginning

The remaining Eladrin traveled through the Fey wilderness for some time before eventually finding a portal to the material plane. Naelren and Jun settled with Saisen in the town of Riport, where Naelren and Jun started a small apothecary aptly named Sylriar. While some of the surviving Eladrin also stayed in Riport, others left the city, seeking to truly start anew somewhere else. Saisen was profoundly changed by the fall of Sylriar. Being trapped inside as he watched his home slowly destroyed and his sisters killed resulted in a deep sadness and anger. He became withdrawn from his family and never truly put roots down in Riport.

Eventually, he found the temple of Oizys, where he learned some, not necessarily healthy, coping mechanisms. Here was where he found his determination to take on the suffering of others. To this day, he believes that if he had been allowed to help, his sisters would still be alive. After watching the members of Sylriar fall to a thousand cuts, he does his absolute best to take on all injuries of his allies, no matter how small, since he knows sometimes it’s the smallest difference that can result in someone dying.

The Start of an Adventure

During his adventures, Saisen heard rumors about a new drug on the street: a fine, purple powder that caused people to go berserk, attacking those around them. Eventually, a woman by the name of Alliee Guru told him about the crew of the Changemaker, who supposedly had run into an island lab where this purple powder was being produced. Saisen met with the crew of the Changemaker, Seatoad Coin, Ruzyd, Tahti Randaja, Bryn Gemflower, and Safira, and after some small convincing and promises of a reward of "immeasurable worth," Saisen joined the crew of the Changemaker and the Toivoan Trainwreck campaign.

Recent Events

During their adventures, the crew of the Changemaker discovered that the purple drug, Purple Frenzy, was being smuggled in figureheads of ships, enough to blow half the city of Riport off the map. The crew safely destroyed the Frenzy and later were named "Friends of Riport" by Gerrarde, the warden of Riport.

Afterwards, they sailed to Nousha, and later Borbon, where they encountered a ghost ship called the Rotten Beard, captained by Sherman 'The Ghost' Bourne. The crew fought valiantly and managed to slay Bourne, but soon discovered he was a lich with his soul tied to the ship itself.

Character Build

Saisen is a full Paladin, built entirely to take damage for his allies and bring the focus of enemy attacks onto himself. His large amount of hit points and multiple auras—such as Aura of Protection and Aura of the Guardian—grant him significant power to support his allies in combat.

Character Stats

• STR 16
• DEX 14
• CON 20
• INT 13
• WIS 15
• CHA 20
• Class: Paladin 16 (Oath of Redemption)
• Feats: Tough, Resilient (Constitution), Improved Concentration

Quotes

• "Please don't."
• "No."
• "STOP."
• "That seems... like a bad idea."
• "How are you all still alive?"

Currently Boarded Vehicle

Flight Risk

Aligned Organization

Toivoan Trainwreck